Over the Way.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 299, 23 October 1873, Page 9

Over the Way.

At a time when I lived high up in Paris — perhaps it was- on the fifth storey — I could look up from my window to a roof opposite, and see two or three small apertures that evidently belonged to inhabited chambers. Counting the ground floor, there were then eight layers of human dwellings piled one above the other opposite: and I used often to amuse myself by wondering how many different classes of persons must enjoy the same streetdoor in common. The first reflection that occurs to a stranger is that this apparently promiscuous style of living must be tbe means of bringing about a kindly feeling between the tumble and the proud. One cannot, it would seem, shoulder a man year after year upon a staircase without learning in some sort to sympathise with him. Practically, however, tin's is not so. Eolations rarely spring up even between neighbours on the same floor. I have never seen the man who lived for two years in the room' over my head, though I did once send him a request not to dance with heavy boots at two o'clock in the morning. People go out at different hours. Tbe workmen who occupy the upper storey are always away before others have opened their eyes, and come in at dusk while we have gone to Palais Royal to dinner. I knew, therefore, that tbe inhabitants of the garrets who excited my attention might be as much cut off from the rest of the world as if they dwelt out upon a moor. For some time I did not catch sight of tbe faces of any of them ; but I knew tbat the little room to the right was occupied by a woman — and ayoung woman too — for on one side bung a dilapidated cage containing a canary that probably sung sometimes, whilst I on tbe other, supported by a hoop of wire, was a single flower pot. A hand sometimes appeared coming | from below to stick chickweed between the bars of the cage or to pour water on the flower-pot, so that I knew the window was very high placed on, so that tbe lodger must be remarkably small. The opening exactly opposite me for a long time gave no signs of life. Like the others it was scarcely eighteen inches square, and being placed on a slanting roof, stood out like a little house with the gable end turned towards the street. One afternoon, when tbe sun was shining full upon it, a man's face, surrounded by au immense shock of red hair and a prodigious beard of the Siime colour, appeared aud nearly filled it. The idea of criminality at once entered my mind. I had seen a similar face staring out of a "kind of loop-hole in the life prison at Louisiana — out upon the sunny world which its owner more than twenty years before bad desecrated by murder. That was wbe,n I was a child ; but tbe impression produced was so strong that eveu now I can never see a person looking fixedly forth from a small window without having to struggle with the idea that he must be a child of guilt. My neighbour'over the way seemed to be looking at nothing in particular — but straightforward over my head— perhaps at the sky beyond, perhaps at some distant steeple-tower. I looked back two or three times mechanically into my own room, as if my glances were compelled to obey the direction of his. Each time I turned towards him there he was, his beard resting on the sill, gazing forward, as if he took some peculiar pleasure in tormenting me. Decidedly, there could be no doubt he was immoral or insane. For several days after this I rarely went to my wiudow without seeing that hairy face, wearing precisely the same expression; and" a certain amount of painful sympathy was by degrees excited. As it was in a time of political excitement, I might have charitably imagined the man to be some popular chief compelled by circumstances to keep out of the way. The idea never entered my mind . He m ust be at the very least an escaped convict, waiting in that retirement until the vigilance of the police should relax. We do not like even to bring such individuals into trouble unnecessarily. I refrained therefore from asking any questions on the subject, for fear of drawing attention to the unfortunate fellow who might possibly repent of his evil ways in his self-imposed solitary confinement. I spent a good deal of time in watching those two windows, and remember feeling a vast amount of satisfaction when, one daj, between the cage and the flower pot, appeared a very bright looking face that continued to work its chin over the sill and to look around. The man with the red beard was at his post, and I could not help contrasting those two countenances, and making all sorts of moral reflections on the extent to which even the humblest dwelling could be made a Paradise or otherwise by the personal characters of those who inhabit it. What a gloomy den roust the chamber of the escaped convict appear — everything in eiisor'ter j cne \>ei never made J the furniture broken ; the door carefully locked and bolted ; a crevice contrived as a loophole from which to command the landing.

As to the younf girl's little nest, I was quite sure that,must be a charming place. Indeed thjgnjt could be no doubt about it. If I had never come to conclusions less hastily, ray wisdom wouldbe great* Birds and flowers are the companions only of the innocent ; and, besides, even at a distance, I could see the sparkle pf a pair of delightful eyes and the bloom of a wholesome cheek. She did not look fixedly in one direction, not she. She looked up and down — at the sky and at the house opposite — the street must have been invisible, and at last her glance came in my direction and passed demurely on. I knew from all these symptoms a great deal about her. She was a working girl, living by herself, industrious, and virtuous, and she had placed a table or a chair beneath a window, in order to be able to enjoy the prospect. No wonder; the day was so bright, the heavens were so blue. How she had resisted the temptation of a stroll to the Luxembourg I could not imagine. Tt was absolutely Sunday ; and there she was putting her head out into the sunshine from a little garret, instead of fluttering in gay ribbons and thin indienne out under the trees, where handsome young men would be sure to admire her. In the enthusiasm of the moment, if I had had my hat on my head, I should have taken it off. Suddenly I heard a slight scream , and she and the bearded man, who no doubt had heard her, put their heads as far as they could out of the window and looked to the right and left", up and down. I could not make out what they were at ; but my opinion of the escaped convict was somewhat raised, for his actions, incomprehensible as they were to me, seemed excited by sympathy. Whilst I was trying to understand this little incident, something dashed past over my head into my room, and fell with a small struggle on the floor. It was a canary bird, which I soon succeeded in catching with my hands. The prisoner of the cage opposite had escaped and taken refuge with me. Such an opportunity was not to be lost. I should soon receive an embassy : and take nothing but thanks. " I resolved to satisfy my curiosity, took up my hat, and soon found myself on the staircase of the house opposite. Having taken some hundred and thirty steps, I reached a landing-place, which would have been pitch dark had not L,wo open doors given a dim light. The man with the red beard had left his den, and was trying to console his pretty neighbor for the loss of her canary bird. With what delight I was welcomed may easily be conceived. The young girl took the little fugitive and pretended to beat it, as mothers do their children when they have escaped a great danger, and then tormented it with kisses, The cage was unhooked, and Mr. Canary placed therein, with many threats if he took such a liberty again. I pretended to be very interested in all this ; and, indeed, was so to a certain extent. But the chief part of my attention was absorbed in examining the personal appearance of the escaped convict, who seemed by his manner determined to take this opportunity of striking up an acquaintance with his pretty neighbor. He it was who took down, the cage, and carefully twisted a piece of wire to prevent the door opening, and suggested that too much sugar should not be given to it, aud pretended that he had often been deliciously pleased by its songs, and, in short, contrived to occupy the time during which, under any other circumstances, we should have been compelled to retire. In about half an hour we both said adieu, and I was about to descend with my curiosity half satisfied, when the man with' the red beard politely askad me if I would not step into his petit reduit — bis little nook. I had already observed that he was a tall manly looking young fellow, dressed in a blouse — quite different from what I bad fancied him to be at a distance. There was even something very benevolent in tbe expression of bis eyes ; bis moutb was entirely concealed. His right hand was bound up partially with a piece of black silk, and be appeared to move it with difficulty. Although my imagination tried to suggest that be must have received a wound in effecting his escape from tbe bulks, it was a total failure. I felt that all my surmiseß mußt be wronjj, and I could not make up my mind even to hesitate at accepting his invitation. The room was quite as neat as its neighbor; at any. rate, considering that it was inhabited by a man. Little furniture, but nicely arranged, a portrait or two on the walls, some shelves with tools of various kinds, an old flute leaning in a corner, a place were a gun had evidently once hung up before it was bidden, or seized or thrown away at the June insurrection. All these items I rapidly noticed. Monsieur Armand soon knocked to pieces all my speculations. He was a watchmaker; but, having severely burnt his hand in putting out a fire some time before, bad been incapable of work. This was the real explanation of tbe fact of bis suddenly occupying the chamber during the day. I asked him why be looked so ofcen out of the window ;|and he told me tbat it was because he could see the .bill of Montraartre and a fine prospect of Paris, which turned out to be true. I did not mention my absurd suspio

ions', for they would have hurt his feelings, suggesting the idea that I thought he looked like a brigand. He evidently thought far otherwise ; and when we afterwards began to talk of the charming girl in the other room, he parted .the moustache from his lips, and said, with an evident allusion to himself, that a handsome fellow, un jeunne homme bien, could not have a better- opportunity of beginning a courtship. ♦ Properly speaking, I suggested, as I had restored the bird, in the nature of things my footing was better than his. He admitted it. If monsieur had any intentions, of course he should consider himself bound, as an honourable man, not to interfere with them. He would even keep out of the girl's way, not to distract her attention. I was bound to be grateful for so much politeness; but announced tbat I left the field perfectly open for him. Tbat was better, he said, much more appropriate ; and if the result of this liljtle incident was the turning of the two garrets into an apartment, be should, know to whom tie owed this happiness. I could see that tbe poor fellow was enormously smitten with the young girl ; and, as be induced me to smoke a pipe with him, I soon learned that he had often met Mademoiselle Cleraence on the stairs, but had never until then been able to say more than good-dfcy to her, She was a maker of artificial flowers — quite a genteel occupation, he said. So was his for that matter, and a lucrative one, too. He could have afforded belter lodgings, but he was saving; bad scraped together several hundred francs, which might be useful one of these days ; for example, if he should marry. " Why don't you take Mademoiselle Clemence ?" said I. " If she would have me," replied he, " I don't say no." I recommended him to try, and went away quit 9 pleased with my new acquaintance. Still better pleased was I when, about two months afterwards, I received in an elegant envelope a formal invitation to wituess tbe nuptial benediction which was to be pronounced, after a visit to Saint Marie, of course, on Jthe two neighbors at the church of Sa'nt Germain des Pres.